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PubMed1993

Behavioral analysis and behavioral strategies to improve self-management of type II diabetes.

The implications of behavioral analysis for practice and research have significant potential for nursing. This present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of nurses and patients actively participating in behavioral analysis and the implementation of behavioral strategies in order to improve the patients' self-management of their Type II diabetes. Patients (N = 156) were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The attention control group (n = 41) received routine care. The compliance group (n = 32) agreed to practice compliance behaviors related to the prescribed medical regimen. The behavioral strategies group (n = 42) participated in behavioral analysis and agreed to practice behavioral strategies. The behavioral strategies with instruction group (n = 41) participated in behavioral analysis, agreed to practice behavioral strategies, and received classes and programmed instruction about behavioral analysis and behavioral strategies. There were no outcome differences between groups relative to glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) and weight loss. There were differences in the outcome measures in subgroups by age, gender, and employment, which have practice and research implications for the individualization of interventions using behavioral strategies.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1993

A review of behavioral factors involved in the development and continued performance of stereotypic behaviors in pigs.

Environmentally induced stereotypies, commonly observed in farm and zoo animals, are behaviors that are relatively invariant, that are regularly repeated, and that serve no obvious function. However, there is as yet no accepted means of discriminating between normal and abnormal behavior, and the assumption that stereotypies are abnormal may mask the fact that they arise in part through processes that "normally" control behavior. There is growing evidence that stereotypies in sows and broiler breeders are strongly related to feeding motivation. For example, sows only develop oral stereotypies if their feed intake is restricted, and operant conditioning experiments have shown commercial levels of feed restriction to give rise to high levels of feeding motivation. Stereotypies in animals whose feed intake is restricted largely occur in the postprandial period, and ingestion of food has specifically been shown to elicit stereotypies in sows. These observations suggest that positive feedback from feeding produces a short-term increase in feeding motivation that at the end of the meal is directed toward available, alternative stimuli such as chains, the choice of stimuli reflecting the sensory feedback from the activity. Drinking behavior may also become an expression of feeding behavior after metabolic water requirements are met. In addition to these processes specific to feeding motivation, it seems likely that nonspecific processes, which operate more generally across motivational systems, contribute to the persistence of the behavior. Behavioral arousal may facilitate performance of active behaviors, and sensitization of the underlying neural elements may lead to the behavior being more easily elicited and maintained. A crucial factor in the sensitization process would seem to be the channeling of complex behavior by the environment into a few and very often repeated sequences of behavior. This approach suggests that stereotypies can be prevented by either reducing the level of motivation underlying the stereotypy, or by allowing for the expression of more complex behavior and thereby preventing the processes of channeling and sensitization from occurring.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed1983

The relative importance of parental attitudes and behavior upon youth smoking behavior.

The purpose of the study was to assess the relative importance of parental attitudes about smoking and parental smoking behavior as factors associated with youth smoking behavior. Knowledge of the relative importance of each variable could enhance antismoking educational efforts. Data were collected from 5,409 central Illinois school-age youth in grades 7-12. Data were analyzed by sex. A variety of attitudinal, behavioral and behavior intention questions relative to risk factors, including smoking, were developed. Specific questions about parental attitudes, parental behavior, and the youth's smoking behavior were included. Descriptive and chi-square statistical analyses were utilized. Results indicate that both factors are significantly associated with youth smoking behavior. However, it appears that parental attitudes may exert a more significant impact than parental behavior. Whereas parental behavior seems to be associated with a doubling of the youth smoking rate, it appears that parental attitude is associated with an approximately fourfold increase. These results need to be interpreted within the larger context that a number of variables, and not just smoking attitudes and parental behavior have been found to be associated with youth smoking behavior. However, within this overall context it appears that parental attitude toward youth smoking is a more significant factor associated with youth smoking behavior than parental behavior. As such, those involved with youth antismoking educational efforts may find it helpful to include this factor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Cognitive and behavioral predictors of sexually transmitted disease risk behavior among sexually active adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To identify important cognitive and behavioral predictors of sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk behavior among a sexually active adolescent cohort. DESIGN: One-year longitudinal study of health beliefs, sexual behaviors, and STD acquisition among 549 adolescents, 14 to 21 years of age. SETTING: School- and community-based health clinics in a large metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: Data from 410 sexually active adolescents completing surveys at baseline and 1-year follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Sexually transmitted disease risk behavior--a composite measure of condom use consistency with most recent sexual partner(s), number of vaginal sex partners, and frequency of intercourse with most recent sexual partner(s). RESULTS: For girls (n = 335), a model including baseline STD risk behavior, condom use self-efficacy, oral contraceptive use, communication with sexual partners about STD prevention, and alcohol use in connection with sexual activity explained 21.1% of the variance in STD risk behavior at 1-year follow-up. For boys (n = 75), the strongest predictors of STD risk behavior at follow-up included baseline STD risk behavior, perceived susceptibility to STD, condom use self-efficacy, negative outcome expectations associated with condom use, and perceived barriers to STD prevention. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts targeting reduction in STD risk behavior must begin before the onset of somewhat stable patterns of sexual risk behavior. Among adolescents who are sexually active, interventions should include components that increase condom use self-efficacy, build skills to communicate with sexual partners about STD prevention, and address behaviors associated with STD risk behavior including oral contraceptive use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Behavior and behavioral needs.

An understanding of behavior is important in any consideration of poultry welfare. Behavior is a good indicator of states of suffering such as fear, frustration, and pain. It might also be possible to use social interactions as indicators of welfare. The possibility of using "luxury" behavior, such as play and exploratory behavior, as an indicator of positive emotional states, requires investigation. Important welfare consequences arise from the fact that some behavior may be so strongly motivated as to constitute a "need". A behavioral need will arise in the case of behavior, such as nesting, that is controlled largely by internal factors, because these factors will be present no matter what type of environment is provided. Behavior triggered largely by external stimuli, such as responses to predators, will not give rise to a need if the external factors can be removed from the environment. Dustbathing is an example of behavior controlled by complex interactions between internal and external factors; the extent to which this constitutes a need is still being debated. If a behavioral need arises, then it is important that the environment provided allows it to be performed without damage to the performer or other birds. It should also be remembered that birds may need to perform behavior, including appetitive as well as consummatory elements, although the functional consequences of these are no longer required for survival. Finally, the performance of certain behavior leads to an increase in health or physical condition that improves welfare later in life.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed1994

AIDS-related risk behavior and behavior change in a sexually active, heterosexual sample: a test of three models of prevention.

Because a cure and a vaccine for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are not expected for at least several years, prevention of AIDS is the only means of reducing the spread of the disease. While education, information, and persuasion may be changing the HIV-related attitudes and even behaviors of some individuals, without a theoretical framework, the reasons why some individuals have changed and why other individuals have not changed are elusive. Three social-psychological models that have been applied to health-related behavior--the Health Belief Model (HBM), the Ajzen-Fishbein attitude-behavior model (AFM), and Leventhal et al.'s Self-Regulatory Model (SRM)--are tested in this study. The extent to which each model's variables are related to self-reported behavior change related to HIV and current HIV-related behavior are compared. Results indicate that the SRM and AFM contributed significantly to predicting risk behavior change, and that the HBM and AFM contributed significantly to predicting current risk behavior, after controlling for risk behavior change. Significant predictors of risk behavior change included timeline, identity, and self-efficacy from the SRM; sexual impulse (a barrier) from the HBM; and attitudes about the behaviors from the AFM. Significant predictors of current risk behavior included several barriers from the HBM and negative attitude about risk-reducing behaviors from the AFM.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Role of behavior theory in behavioral medicine.

Behavioral medicine is a multidisciplinary field that combines research methods and findings from behavioral and biomedical sciences. Many investigators in the field have tended to emphasize the contribution of the biomedical more than the behavioral sciences. This is evident in the emphasis on biological rather than behavioral outcomes and on the reductionist approach within the field to reduce mechanisms responsible for behavioral effects and disease to biological influences. There has been a similar shift in psychology toward mechanistic, bottom-up approaches to understanding mechanisms responsible for integrated and dynamic behavior. These shifts in emphasis have stimulated investigators to examine the use of biomedical methods and findings as causes and explanations for behavior, rather than to utilize newer findings in behavioral sciences. New advances in basic research on learning are used to illustrate that findings from behavioral science have implications for the field of contemporary behavioral medicine. Finally, the importance of developing new technologies for measuring behavior is presented.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1993

A behavioral prescription for promoting applied behavior analysis within pediatrics.

In recent decades, pediatric medicine has undergone a shift in focus from infectious diseases to the effects of behavior on the health and development of children. At the same time, behavior analysts have increasingly evaluated the direct application of their technology to the development and maintenance of child health behavior. Unfortunately, applied behavior analysts have developed their technology parallel to, rather than collaboratively with, pediatricians and, as a result, are not recognized as experts in the treatment of child health behavior. In addition, behavioral technology is not widely recognized as the treatment of choice by pediatricians. This paper provides a behavioral prescription for behavior analysts who wish to enter pediatrics as expert scientists and technicians. Specific recommendations are provided for stimulating collaborative rather than parallel development between applied behavior analysis and pediatrics in the promotion and maintenance of child health behavior. Strategies for maintaining this collaborative relationship and for strengthening the social relevance of behavior analysis are discussed.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1991

Adolescent health behavior and conventionality-unconventionality: an extension of problem-behavior theory.

Examined the relation of psychosocial and behavioral conventionality-unconventionality to health-related behavior in cross-sectional data from 1,588 male and female 7th to 12th graders. Conventionality-unconventionality was represented by personality, perceived social environment, and behavior variables selected from the social-psychological framework of problem-behavior theory (R. Jessor & S. L. Jessor, 1977). Greater psychosocial conventionality correlates with more regular involvement in health-related behavior (regular physical activity, adequate sleep, safety belt use, attention to healthy diet). Greater behavioral conventionality (less involvement in problem behaviors such as marijuana use, problem drinking, delinquent-type behavior, and greater involvement in conventional behaviors such as church attendance) was also associated with greater involvement in health-maintaining behavior. The overall findings provide support for the extension of problem-behavior theory to the domain of adolescent health behavior and for the relevance of the dimension of conventionality-unconventionality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Evaluation of disruptive behavioral disorders: how situation specific and temporally accurate are behavior observations?].

The stability of expert behavior ratings was analyzed in an unselected inpatient sample of 49 children admitted for disruptive behavior disorders. Expert behavior ratings were obtained for two highly standardized situations (play behavior on ward, on-task behavior during tests) at two time points (T1: 1 week and T2: 4 weeks after admission). These scores were compared with initial diagnostic assessments (clinical judgement) and objective behavior data (actometer) in the test situation. A comparison of the standardized behavior ratings over time showed that in both settings problem behavior was more pronounced at T2 than at T1. Actometer data indicating a higher activity level at T2 were significantly correlated with behavior ratings. There was only a weak association between expert behavior ratings and an initial diagnosis of conduct disorder; the correlation between an initial diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and the behavior ratings was statistically significant. In general, T2 behavior ratings corresponded better to the initial clinical judgement. Implications for the use of multiple sources of information and of repeated measurements are discussed.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1982

Is adjunctive behavior a third class of behavior?

Research during the past 20 years has revealed that intermittent food presentation to a variety of organisms results in an inordinately excessive consumption of water as well as other behaviors including attack, pica, escape, and alcohol consumption. Such behavior has not been thought to be either respondent or operant behavior, but instead has been regarded as a new behavioral category termed "adjunctive behavior." This paper reexamines the rejection of adjunctive behavior as either operant or respondent behavior and concludes that the rejection was premature. This paper also reexamines the argument that there is a unique class of adjunctive behavior and concludes that there is not. It is recommended that given the growing difficulties in maintaining an operant-respondent dichotomy, rather than admitting adjunctive behavior into either of these categories, research efforts should de-emphasize preconceived and outdated notions about categories of behavior and how such behaviors should behave and instead focus on mapping functional relationships between behavior and various procedures for presenting non-contingent stimuli.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Lead and behavioral development: parental compensation for behaviorally impaired chicks.

Lead is ubiquitous in nature, and can affect behavioral, physiological, and intellectual development in humans and other animals. We used lead-induced behavioral deficits to examine the behavior of parents and young herring gulls in the Captree, NY, gull colony. Our objectives were to determine: a) If there were differences in the behavior, weight, and survival of chicks as a function of treatment; b) if parental behavior varied as a function of treatment; and 3) if there were differences in sibling competition and parent-young conflict between experimental nests (with lead-impaired chicks and control chicks) and control nests. We injected one chick in each of 22 nests (1-2 days of age) with lead acetate (100 mg/kg in sterile water) and injected its sibling with sterile saline, and compared behavior of parents and young (from 1-21 days postinjection). We also observed behavior of parents and chicks in 12 control nests in which chicks were handled similarly but were not injected. There were significant lead-induced differences in righting response, locomotion, thermoregulation, begging, and feeding behavior in the chicks; corroborating observations from the laboratory. Lead-injected chicks were less able to compete for food with their siblings, with a resultant significant difference by weight at 16 days of age. For experimental nests in which the weight difference was great, parents engaged in divided feeding of the brood. After one parent initiated feeding, the other parent walked a short distance away and began to call to and then feed the second, smaller chick. The extra parental care resulted in increased survival for the lead-injected chicks, and in their catching up to their siblings in weight by fledging. The results of this experiment indicate that lead induces behavioral deficits and growth retardation in gulls in nature, decreases survival at young ages, and that parents compensate for these behavioral and growth deficits by brood division for feeding chicks such that by fledging the chicks are no longer at a weight and size disadvantage. Parents are, thus, able to perceive a difference in body size and/or vigor of their offspring, and to behaviorally compensate partially for the lead-induced deficits.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Sleep and daytime behavior in children with obstructive sleep apnea and behavioral sleep disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was: 1) to examine both bedtime sleep behaviors and daytime behaviors associated with daytime sleepiness in a group of children with a primary medical sleep disorder (obstructive sleep apnea syndrome [OSAS]) compared with a group of children with a primary behavioral sleep disorder (BSD) (limit setting sleep disorder or sleep onset association disorder); and 2) to investigate the impact of a comorbid BSD on sleep and daytime behavioral consequences of OSAS. METHODS: Children referred to a pediatric sleep disorders clinic during a 3-year period with a primary diagnosis of either polysomnographically-confirmed OSAS (n = 100) or a BSD (n = 52) were compared on several parent report measures assessing the following domains: symptoms of sleep disordered breathing, other sleep behaviors (primarily parasomnias), bedtime behaviors, and externalizing daytime behavior problems. The OSAS sample was then divided into a pure OSAS group (n = 78) and an OSAS plus a behavioral sleep diagnosis group (n = 22) based on the presence or absence of delayed sleep onset and/or prolonged nightwakings and compared on the parent-report symptom domains. RESULTS: Almost one-quarter of the OSAS group had clinically significant behavioral sleep problems, primarily bedtime resistance, in addition to OSAS. Bedtime resistance was associated with a significantly shortened sleep duration in both the BSD and OSAS-BSD groups. Although the OSAS-BSD group had less severe disease, as defined by polysomnographic variables, than the pure OSAS group, they were rated by their parents as having more daytime externalizing behavior problems associated with daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that evaluation for comorbid BSD should be done in all children presenting with symptoms of OSAS. The coexistence of such BSDs may contribute significantly to sleep deprivation, and thus to behavioral manifestations of daytime sleepiness in these children.

Child↗
PubMed1997

Effects of castration on problem behaviors in male dogs with reference to age and duration of behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether 9 problem behaviors in adult male dogs were affected by castration and to examine the influence of age and duration of problem behavior on behavioral effects of castration. DESIGN: Cohort study. ANIMALS: 57 male dogs > 2 years old at the time of castration that had > or = 1 of the targeted problem behaviors. PROCEDURE: Data were collected by telephone contact with owners to identify dogs that had > or = 1 problem behavior before castration and to estimate the improvement (ie, decrease) in the objectionable behaviors after castration. Problem behaviors of interest included urine marking in the house, mounting, roaming, fear of inanimate stimuli, aggression toward human family members, aggression toward unfamiliar people, aggression toward other dogs in the household, aggression toward unfamiliar dogs, and aggression toward human territorial intruders. RESULTS: Effects of castration on fear of inanimate stimuli or aggression toward unfamiliar people were not significant. For urine marking, mounting, and roaming, castration resulted in an improvement of > or = 50% in > or = 60% of dogs and an improvement of > or = 90% in 25 to 40% of dogs. For remaining behaviors, castration resulted in an improvement of > or = 50% in < 35% of dogs. Significant correlations were not found between the percentage of improvement and age of the dog or duration of the problem behavior at the time of castration. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Castration was most effective in altering objectionable urine making, mounting, and roaming. With various types of aggressive behavior, including aggression toward human family members, castration may be effective in decreasing aggression in some dogs, but fewer than a third can be expected to have marked improvement. Age of the dog or duration of the problem behavior does not have value in predicting whether castration will have a beneficial effect.

Aggression↗
PubMed1990

Social and behavioral factors associated with high-risk sexual behavior among adolescents.

Relationships among risky sexual behaviors, other problem behaviors, and the family and peer context were examined for two samples of adolescents. Many adolescents reported behaviors (e.g., promiscuity or nonuse of condoms) which risked HIV or other sexually transmitted disease infection. Such risky behaviors were significantly intercorrelated. Consistent condom use was rare among those whose behavior otherwise entailed the greatest risk of infection. In both samples, an index of high-risk sexual behavior was significantly related to antisocial behavior, cigarette smoking, and illicit drug or alcohol use. Social context variables, including family structure, parenting practices, and friends' engagement in problem behaviors, were associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Finally, for sexually active adolescents, problem behaviors and social context variables were predictive of nonuse of condoms. Results were consistent across the two studies and regression weights held up well under cross-validation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Anxiety behavior, exploratory behavior, and activity in NZB x NZW F1 hybrid mice: role of genotype and autoimmune disease progression.

Behavioral changes often accompany the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in humans and animals. In a mouse model of SLE, the NZB x NZW F1 (B/W) hybrid, 12-week-old mice display more anxiety behavior, less activity, and less exploratory behavior than non-autoimmune female NZW mice. To determine whether these behaviors result from the autoimmune disease or genetic differences between B/W and NZW mice, they were assessed prior to and during disease emergence (6 and 12 weeks of age, respectively). B/W mice were less active at both ages, suggesting a genetic component to this behavioral difference. Anxiety behavior and exploratory behavior did not differ between B/W and NZW mice at 6 weeks; however, at 12 weeks B/W mice displayed more anxiety behavior and less exploratory behavior, indicating that these behaviors were related with the development of autoimmune disease. Prior experience with these tasks increased anxiety behavior in B/W but not NZW mice, suggesting that B/W mice may be more sensitive to anxiogenic experiences.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive-behavioral mediators of changing multiple behaviors: smoking and a sedentary lifestyle.

BACKGROUND: A significant percentage of the U.S. population has multiple poor health behaviors. Understanding the relationship among these behavioral risk factors is important for designing effective multiple risk factor interventions. While there is some evidence suggesting that participation in physical exercise may have a positive impact on smoking cessation, there is much to be learned about the relationships between cognitive-behavioral (self-efficacy, decisional-balance) and motivational mechanisms (stage of change) which have been shown to mediate changes in both exercise and smoking behavior. METHODS: The sample comprised 332 smokers employed at two workplaces-a government agency and a medical center-recruited as part of a larger worksite health promotion project and who completed questionnaires on their smoking and exercise behaviors. RESULTS: The results revealed significant relationships between smoking variables and exercise variables. Smokers who rated as important the positive benefits of smoking also rated as important the costs associated with increased physical activity. Similarly, the negative consequences of smoking were significantly associated with the positive benefits of physical activity. Self-efficacy for one behavior was significantly associated with self-efficacy for the other. Significant differences by exercise and smoking stage of change were found on the cross-behavior sets of variables (self-efficacy, pros, cons). Smokers who were contemplating a more active lifestyle reported the negative consequences of smoking to be significantly more important to them than smokers who were not considering adoption of a more active lifestyle. Smokers who were exercising regularly reported significantly more confidence in their ability to refrain from smoking than smokers not exercising regularly. Finally, smokers preparing for quitting reported less confidence in their ability to exercise than smokers who had already taken action to change their smoking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The cognitive mechanisms associated with changes in smoking behavior are related to the cognitive variables which have been shown to predict changes in exercise behavior. Significant relationships in mediating mechanisms including decisional balance and self-efficacy between smoking and exercise provide preliminary information on how change in one risk behavior may relate to change in another. These associations have implications for future intervention research and for methods research on multiple risk factors interactions.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effect of first-grade classroom environment on shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems.

Investigates the effect of the first-grade classroom environment on the shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems of 609 children in 19 East Baltimore public schools. First-grade classroom environment was assessed in terms of dominant pattern of classroom achievement and behavior. Structured teacher ratings assessed child shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems at the end of first grade. Children in low-achieving classroom environments had significantly higher teacher ratings of shy behavior and aggressive behavior than children in mixed-achieving or high-achieving environments, even after controlling for potentially confounding child characteristics and classroom behavior environment effects. Analyses controlling for child characteristics and classroom achievement environment effects indicated that children in poor-behaving classroom environments also had significantly higher teacher ratings of shy behavior than children who were not in poor-behaving environments. Subgroup analyses indicated that repeaters in mixed-achieving environments had significantly higher levels of shy behavior compared with nonrepeaters, and repeaters in poor-behaving environments had significantly higher levels of aggressive behavior compared with nonrepeaters. Implications for prevention research are discussed.

Achievement↗